Thomas a



(No Model.)

T A. DAVIES;

FASTENING FISH PLATES IN RAILROAD RAIL JOINTS. No. 320,639.

DWRNTOR Ja Patented June 23, 1885.

ATTORNEYS.

WITNESSES cam g ihvrrnn STATES PATENT Orricn.

THOMAS A. DAVIES, OF NElY YORK, N. Y.

FASTENING FlS H-PLATES IN RAILROAD-RAIL JOINTS.

EPECIPICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 320,639, dated June 23 1885.

Application filed December 11, 1884.

T0 aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, Trronas A. Dltvrns, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fastening Fish-Plates in Railroad-Rail Joints, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Reference is to be. had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a railroad rail joint to which my improvementhas been applied, the rivets at one side of the joint being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan view of the same, taken through the line m as, Fig. 1, two of the rivets being shown headed and two unheaded.

The object of this invention is to fasten fishplates in railroad-rail joints in such a manner that the joints will not be liable to be made loose by travel over them.

WVhen fish-plates are drawn snugly against the rails and secured by bolts and nuts or by rivets, continued travel will insensibly produce alooseness of the joints, which increases as time goes on, and before a remedy can be applied injury will be done to the track and the rolling-stock of the road.

My invention consists in the combination, with the rails, the fish-plates, and the rivets of the joint, of angular springs, whereby the wear of thejoint will be constantly taken up, and the joint will be held firm and rigid during the entire life of the rails, as will be hereinafter fully described and then claimed.

A B represent the adjacent ends of two railroad-rails. O are the fish-plates which are fitted into the spaces between the heads and basefianges of the rails A B, so as to rest firmly against the said heads and flanges without being in contact with the webs of the rails. D are the rivets which are passed through holes in the fish-plates O, and in the webs of the rails A B. E are springs which are bent at an angle at their middle parts to rest against the fish'plates O, between the rivets D. The ends of the springs E are slotted, or have elongated holes formed through them, to receive the rivets D, so that the said springs will be free to move on the said rivets as they seek to regain their normal shape after being straightened by pressure.

In using the improvement, the ends of the rails A B are brought together, the fish-plates (N0 model.)

0 are arranged in place, and the rivets D are passed through the webs of the rails and the fish-plates. The springs E are then placed upon the rivets D with their angles resting against the fish-plates G, between the rivets of each pair, and the ends of the springs E are drawn down against the fish-plates O by powerful clamps, or other suitable means.

The rivets D are then headed down upon the ends of the springs E, or upon washers placed upon the said rivets at the outer sides of the said springs.

By this construction the whole elastic force of the springs will be exerted to hold the fishplates to their places, and any wear of any of the parts of thejoint will be instantly taken up and the joint kept firm and rigid during the entire life of the rails.

If desired, the rivets D can be made with screw-threads and nuts, and the ends of the rivets headed down upon the nuts after the said nuts have been screwed down to their places; or the screw-threads can be otherwise diestroyed, so that the nut-s can never be turned 0 f.

\Vith this construction of spring when the ends of the spring are drawn down against the fishplates the said spring will not lie flat upon the fish-plate, as curved springs are prone to do, but will be slightly curved from the angle to the ends, so that the elasticity of the metal will not be destroyed, but will be fully preserved. Furthermore, the angle of the spring acts as a constant fulcrum to the leverage of the spring.

The springs E can be placed upon either side or upon both sides of the rails, and in case greater elastic force be required extra springs can be interposed between the inner rivets of the two pairs, as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The combination, with the rails A B, the fish-plates O, and the rivets D, of the angular springs E, substantially as herein shown and described, whereby the wear of the joint will be constantly taken up, and the joint held firm and rigid during the entire life of the rails, as set forth.

THOMAS A. DAVIES. lVitnesses:

JAMES T. GRAHAM, O. SEDewIoK. 

